There are two ways to look at the mess the NBA is in now.

There’s the pessimistic view that the season will not start on time and the league and the players association not only didn’t come to an agreement, but also reverted back to rhetoric and spin. The optimistic view is that buried beneath the rancor is the reality that the NBA finally made a move toward the players.

The feeling here, and it’s only a feeling, is that the season won’t start on time, but there will be NBA basketball this season. It may take days, weeks or even months before a resolution is reached, but a deal is there to be made.

Here’s the bad news: On Tuesday, the NBA canceled the remaining preseason schedule, representing a $200 million loss in revenue according to commissioner David Stern, and Stern said that the first two weeks of the regular season would be lost if no agreement is reached by Monday. There are no talks scheduled as of yet, and there are almost certainly won’t be during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, which lasts from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. 

The NBA didn’t help matters by refusing to air the union’s press conference on NBA TV, a petty move by the league’s television station, which has mostly ignored the most significant labor issue to arise since the 1998 lockout.

Nor did Stern engender any goodwill by labeling discarded hard-line management issues such as unguaranteed contracts and salary givebacks, “concessions.” Additionally, deputy commissioner Adam Silver noted that system issues still needed to be addressed, which would take more time and effort to come to an agreement.

However, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports, the league floated the idea of a 50-50 split -- actually 49-51 -- of the basketball-related income (BRI) while the union floated back at around 52 percent. (For those who haven’t been keeping track, the players were guaranteed 57 percent of the BRI under the old agreement. Each percentage point is worth roughly $40 million.)

It should be noted this move comes loaded with caveats, and here’s where it gets tricky: In his press conference, Stern said it wasn’t a formal offer, but a “concept.” The union is said to be unhappy that Stern would take a sidebar concept and make it public, a breach of protocol that allowed the commissioner to claim that the union rejected a 50-50 split when in fact nothing of the sort was actually offered.

The league’s formal offer -- more like 47 percent -- is where things officially stand, while the players said they have offered to reduce their take to 53 percent.

And yet, the “concept” represents real movement. Further, while the cap system still needs to be addressed, it seems the owners have come off their demands for a hard cap. Hunter told reporters that, “the hard cap is off the table.” Finally, the league revealed that it has come off its proposal for a 10-year agreement and is offering six with a player option for the seventh.

That, ever so slowly, is actual progress in a process that has moved at a glacial pace. While it’s not there yet, that’s the real takeaway from Tuesday’s meeting.

What we have reached is an inevitable crossroads that was put in motion from the moment the owners decided to lock out the players. Actually, it was put in motion years ago when the two sides began formally meeting and making no headway. The key question is this: What happens when players start missing paychecks and owners start missing dates?

“The thought among some of the owners is that once the players started missing checks, they would cave,” NBPA chief Billy Hunter told reporters.

Amar’e Stoudemire said via Twitter: Met with the NBA owners today, made no progress. We as players are a lot smarter then they think. We are prepared to boycott.

Star players were out in force for Tuesday’s meeting, and Stern’s concept was reportedly made with Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant in the room with Hunter, league attorney Jeffrey Kessler and NBPA President Derek Fisher.

This is still tenuous. Stern appeared to be more concerned with winning the PR battle on Tuesday, which is curious when you consider that the owners have already won the battle. The players are offering to reduce their share of revenue by some $160 million and have been forced to protect their flanks on issues such as guaranteed contracts and a hard cap system with fewer exceptions. The most they can hope for is salvaging the old system and minimizing their losses.

There is still the threat of decertification, whether it comes from the union or a group of powerful agents who have been at odds with the union’s strategy from the outset. Push too hard and this incremental progress could be blown to bits.

The last, best offer still hasn’t surfaced yet and it will likely come at the cost of regular season games, but they are getting closer.